St. Mary's Church (Albany, New York)

St. Mary's Church
West elevation and south profile, 2009
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Leadership	Pastor: Rev. David Wm. Mickiewicz Pastor Emeritus: Rev. John T. Provost Deacon: Walter Ayres Deacon: Aaron Tremblay
Year consecrated	1870
Status	Active
Location
Location	10 Lodge Street Albany, NY, USA
Geographic coordinates	42°39′6″N 73°45′10″W / 42.65167°N 73.75278°W / 42.65167; -73.75278
Architecture
Architect(s)	Charles C. Nichols, Frederick Brown[1]: 4
Style	Italian Romanesque Revival (exterior); Mannerist/French Gothic Revival (interior)
Groundbreaking	1867
Completed	1867
Construction cost	$100,000
Specifications
Direction of façade	west
Height (max)	175 feet (53 m)
Spire(s)	1
Materials	brick and stone
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHP	July 14, 1977
NRHP Reference no.	77000933[2]
Website
Historic St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic house of worship on Lodge Street in downtown Albany, New York, United States. It is a brick structure with an Italian Romanesque Revival exterior. Built in the 1860s, it is the third church to house the oldest Catholic congregation not only in the city, but in all of upstate New York. In 1977, St. Mary's Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it is also a contributing property to the Downtown Albany Historic District, listed several years later.

The congregation of St. Mary's was established in the late 18th century. Early in the next century, the first church was built on the present location when the city donated the land, supposedly on the property where St. Isaac Jogues took shelter after escaping from captivity in the early 17th century. The current building, designed by local architects Nichols & Brown, is the third on the site; its tower was added in 1895. In the late 20th century, the interior and exterior were extensively renovated.

Some important figures in the American Church have visited or been associated with the church. John McCloskey, the first Bishop of Albany and later the first American-born cardinal, made St. Mary's his procathedral briefly. John Neumann, later a saint, celebrated a Mass there as a newly ordained priest. Clarence A. Walworth, a convert from Episcopalianism, who was the first advocate for the sainthood of Kateri Tekakwitha, among other contributions to the Church, was pastor of St. Mary's for most of the late 19th century and was responsible for much of the look of the current building, inside and out.

The church's interior incorporates a combination of the Mannerist and French Gothic styles, in contrast to its exterior. Upon completion of the tower in 1894, the church was wired, making it the first church in Albany to have electric lighting. In 1912, the original stained glass windows were replaced. Beyond these developments, there have been no significant changes to the building since its construction.